Sabine Wren is well on her way to becoming a Mandalorian Jedi in Ahsoka, so why was Grogu forced to choose between those two distinctive paths?
Sabine Wren is training to be a Mandalorian Jedi in Ahsoka, a surprising twist that makes it seem strange that Grogu hasn’t been able to do the same in The Mandalorian. Brought to life in live-action by Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Sabine Wren is now training as a Jedi despite her Mandalorian roots. According to the ancient droid Huyang, Sabine possesses less aptitude for the Force than any Padawan he has met in 500 years – but there’s a clear direction of travel, with Ahsoka setting her up to eventually access the Force.
Star Wars has been setting up another Mandalorian Jedi for quite some time. It initially seemed as though Grogu would be the next Mandalorian Jedi, but surprisingly in The Book of Boba Fett Grogu was offered a choice between one and the other. Grogu’s path is essentially the opposite to Sabine’s, so why can’t he also become a Mandalorian Jedi?
Sabine’s Master Isn’t Technically A Jedi
The first contrast between Grogu and Sabine is the fact they’ve encountered very different Jedi. Ahsoka is Sabine’s master, and in truth she doesn’t think of herself as a Jedi; she never completed her own training, and in fact Ahsoka left the Jedi after losing faith in the Council. Ahsoka episode 1 saw Anakin Skywalker’s former Padawan remind Huyang of this quite openly. Someone like Ahsoka would be much more open to the idea of taking on a Mandalorian for Jedi training, as she wouldn’t restrict herself or her student to the ways of the Jedi. Indeed, her knowledge and experience of Mandalore would make her even more accepting.
Luke Skywalker, meanwhile, is trying to build a brand new Jedi Order. In order to succeed, he needs to adhere closely to the Jedi Code and keep students who will follow it faithfully. Grogu’s attachment to Din Djarin means he is already straying from the Jedi Code, and training as a Mandalorian after becoming a Jedi would only make that attachment first. Even Ahsoka was hesitant to train Grogu because of the strength of his attachment to Din Djarin.
Grogu Was Only Willing To Train As A Jedi To Protect Din Djarin
Grogu’s motivations to continue his Jedi training with Luke rested solely with his adoptive father. It was clear in The Mandalorian season 2 that Grogu wasn’t as eager to be reunited with the Jedi as Din thought he would be, and he only went with Luke because the Jedi said that it would keep him protected. Grogu knew that being able to protect himself also meant protecting his father, who had already nearly died before to save him.
In fact, Grogu only started using the Force whenever Din was in danger. Ahsoka told Din that Grogu had hidden his abilities for years following the events of Order 66, but his deep care for and attachment to Din was the sole motivational factor in him conquering his fear of revealing his abilities to protect his guardian. This shows that Grogu has solely been using his Jedi training as a means of protecting Din, not because he actually wants to take up a lightsaber in the name of the Jedi.
Grogu Has Been Traumatized By His Jedi Identity
Grogu has been through so much just because of his Jedi identity, barely surviving Order 66 and subsequently hunted by the Empire for his blood. It makes sense that he doesn’t look favorably on the idea of tying himself even closer to the identity that’s brought him so much hurt over the years. He doesn’t have to leave behind everything to become a Mandalorian, and their creed of loyalty, solidarity, and honor is much more well-suited for him after everything he’s gone through than what the Jedi Code has to offer.
Grogu has never really had the intention of becoming a Jedi after Order 66. The only reason Din went on a quest to reunite Grogu with the Jedi was because the Armorer told him to do so. Luke rightly told Ahsoka that Grogu’s heart was never really in his training. When Diin asked Ahsoka why she was okay with Luke training Grogu, she outright told him she couldn’t control the desires of others – hinting that she knew Grogu never wanted to be trained as a Jedi.
Can Grogu Still Become A Mandalorian Jedi?
It’s not too late for Grogu to become a Mandalorian Jedi, and clearly Grogu has many, many years left to live in the Star Wars galaxy. He has plenty of time to complete his Jedi training one day and earn the title of Mandalorian Jedi once he’s completed his apprenticeship with Din. It could even be that Grogu trains with Rey in her new Jedi Order rather than working with Luke again, as he would have had more time to come to terms with everything that happened to him as a Jedi before.
As a Jedi becoming a Mandalorian, everything has been more nuanced for Grogu than it has been for Sabine, who’s doing the exact opposite. She has already had her Mandalorian training and has earned her weapons, armor, and more, while Grogu is trying to take on that training after being restricted to the Jedi Code. Their desired outcomes to earn the Mandalorian Jedi title are the same, but their means of getting there are completely different.
The reality is that Sabine’s motives for becoming a Jedi Padawan must have been less dangerous than Grogu’s. Ahsoka was the first one to point out the danger posed by Grogu’s attachments, which may be the reason why Ahsoka walked away from Sabine in the first place. Ahsoka only agreed to train Sabine again in Ahsoka once she knew her Padawan truly wanted to become a Jedi, which is something Grogu simply hasn’t shown just yet. Once he’s able to prove that he wants more with his Jedi training than to protect his loved one, Grogu could very well join Sabine in becoming some of Star Wars history’s strongest and most memorable Mandalorian Jedi.
